After two years of travel turmoil, summer vacation is back on our minds as many of us plan trips abroad.
This has led to chaos at some airports as high passenger numbers coupled with staff shortages have resulted in long queues.
An airport in Spain has been accused of giving Irish passengers ‘preferential treatment’ with a ‘fast track’ by some UK passport holders with no choice but to watch from a separate queue.
Read more: Spain holiday warning over airport queues, Brits accuse Irish of getting ‘preferred treatment’
Travelers were exchanging photos from Malaga airport, which was split into two separate queues for passports. One is closed with black tape and marked with a union hat for “All Passengers”. The other is surrounded by a green band and shows an Irish tricolor and the EU flag while being called ‘EU Citizens’.
Since Brexit, only British tourists are allowed to stay in the Schengen area (an area of free movement without border controls covering 26 countries including Spain but excluding Ireland) for 90 days out of 180 and their passports must be stamped on departure or they may face refusal of entry on another visit.
Meanwhile, Irish citizens enjoy EU-wide passenger rights to travel to, from or within the EU by air, train, bus/coach or boat.
Twitter user @winding_sios posted a picture of the scene inside Malaga airport, writing: “The express bus lane (green stripe) with motorized turnstiles is for Irish EU citizens only. EU citizens. »
One UK passenger claimed Irish citizens received ‘preferential treatment’ while others reported ‘two-hour queues for non-EU travellers’.
One Twitter user said: “Sitting at Malaga airport heading home. What joke ! A big queue of British passengers stretching to the Duty Free exit… while the corridor to the EU is empty. »
Preferential treatment for travel to Ireland, another added.
A third wrote: “The queues at passport control are ridiculous. Allow an extra hour after security for passport control. »
According to local media, up to 3,000 passengers missed their flights at Madrid airport during the Easter holiday, fearing such scenes could be repeated during the summer holidays.
“There have already been problems at airports over Easter and we must avoid this happening in high season,” said ALA Spanish President Javier Gandara.
And he called for National Police officers to be assigned to their duty at Spanish airports to check passports, especially British ones.
He added: “This will be the first summer in which the passports of travelers to the UK will have to be checked, and the first when air traffic is likely to be normal, after the UK government lifted all restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. ”
Read more: Covid rules have changed in Spain for Irish tourists going on holiday to the most famous islands
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